The analysis from the early 1990s showed the iodine deficiency and endemic goitre in whole country. These studies contributed to introduce in 1997 the obligatory model of iodization the table salt. The risk connected with iodine deficiency causes that the monitoring of iodine balance became a very important thing. One of the most important indicators is thyreoglobulin serum concentration. Aim of the study was determination of thyreoglobulin serum concentration as an assessment the efficacy of current model of iodine prophylaxis in random selected group of children and adolescents in Szczecin region.
Material and methods: The study was undertaken in the years 2003-2004. In random selected group of children and adolescents in Szczecin region. The patients administered vitamins or minerals enriched with iodine were excluded from a study. The study included 151 persons aged 9 to 16 years, 80 boys (53%) and 71 girls (47%). Radioimmunometric and radioimmunological methods were used for the determination of thyreoglobulin (Tg) and thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (FTJ concentrations. Iodine excretion with urine was determined on the basis of catalytic Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. Collected data were then analyzed using sophisticated computer-based statistic program.
Results: In whole study group mean Tg concentration was 11.97 +/- 7.57 ng/ml. In 69 persons (45%) they were normal, in 82 (55%) were increased: 67 (44%) of them has insignificant increase (low iodine deficiency) and in 15 (11%) were in a range 20-40 ng/ml, what is connected with a mean iodine deficiency. In whole study group mean FT4 concentration was 15.59 +/- 4.72 pmol/l. In a group with normal thyreoglobulin concentrations mean FT4 was 17.69 +/- 4.53 pmol/l and was significantly higher than in a group with insignificant and mean Tg increase and were 15.36 +/- 4.43 pmol/l and 13.72 +/- 4.63 pmol/l, respectively. Mean TSH concentration was 2.23 +/- 0.9 microU/ml and mean iodine concentration was 87.2 +/- 37.5 microg/l. Between TSH serum concentrations and ioduria were no significant differences between the groups. There was significant correlation between thyreoglobulin concentration and FT4 (r(s) = -0.24) and thyrotropin (r(s) = 0.21). No correlation was found between concentration of these hormones and ioduria. Similarly, there was no correlation between thyreoglobulin concentration and iodine urinary excretion.
Conclusions: Thyreoglobulin serum concentrations evaluated during the study revealed iodine deficiency in Szczecin region. Correlations between thyreoglobulin concentrations, free thyroxine and thyrotropin make a Tg determination to be more helpful indicator of iodine balance than ioduria.